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A crystallographic plane of atoms in which dislocations move with greater ease.

Alloy

A metal combined with at least one other chemical element to enhance or modify the pure metal's properties.

Anodes

Active metals used to protect other metals from corrosion by attracting the current and therefore oxidation reactions occur on active metal.

Casting

A molding process consisting of pouring molten metal into a mold, allowing it to cool and harden, and removing the cast part from the mold.

Creep

Elongation of a material over time - typically at elevated temperatures.

Dross

Oxided material on the top of a fluid open bath of melted magnesium, usually not a problem with cover gas enclosed dossing furnaces. Only associated with open melt furnaces using a flux to control oxidation.

Ductility

A measure of a material's ability to undergo deformation before fracturing, represented by the percent elongation or percent of area reduction.

Electrical Conductivity

A material's ability to conduct electricity - the reciprocal of electrical resistivity.

Enthalpy

A thermodynamic property equivalent to the sum of two values; the internal energy and the product of pressure and volume. Typically expressed as a change in enthalpy or the energy absorbed or emitted during a phase transformation.

Entropy

A measure of the system's thermal energy as well as the disorder within a material.

Fatigue

The progressive brittle cracking that occurs in materials under repetitive stresses prior to failure.

Feedstock

Material fed into a die for processing.

Forgings

Materials shaped through compression in various tools and dies.

Foundry

Manufacturing factory or workshop that casts metal products.

Fracture toughness

A measure of a material's resistance to fracture when a fracture is present.

Grighard reaction

Reaction occuring when the bonding electrons are shifted away from magnesium in a carbon magnesium bond to form a covalent bond that is strongly polar.

Hexagonal close packed (HCP)

The crystal structure of pure magnesium in which the unit cell has hexagonal geometry formed by stacked, closely-packed planes of atoms.

Ingot

Solid metal intended for further processing such as rolling, casting and forging.

Modulus of elasticity

Also known as Young's modulus, it is the ratio of stress to strain in the elastic region of a material in tension.

Mole

The amount of a material or substance equivalent to 6.023 x 1023 atoms or molecules.

Process scrap

Materials that are left over following manufacturing of a part — can be either intentional or unintentional remnants.

Shot

Small metal balls used as feedstock.

Slurry

A semi-liquid mixture consisting of both particulate and liquidous material.

Specific Heat

Quantity of heat required to raise a unit mass of material's temperature a particular amount, typically one degree.

Strain hardening coefficient

Symbolized by n in the true stress-true strain curve. A higher coefficient represents a greater strain-hardening capacity of the material — the more the material is strained, the harder and stronger it would become.

Substrate

Primary material onto which other materials are applied or built up onto.

Swarf

Chips and pieces of material that occur in metalworking processes.

Thermal conductivity

A measure of a materials ability to conduct heat.

Vibration damping capacity

A material's relative ability to absorb vibration.

Wrought products

Products that are formed by another process other than casting. Can be machined from the solid, extruded or forged.

Yield strength

Amount of stress required to produce a small, specified amount of plastic strain on a material.